a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Bits from Tyrone Corbin and Sidney Lowe Interviews, 1/14

On his 100th win
The guys did a tremendous job, man. The coaches, I can’t say enough about how they continue to work with these guys and keep them prepared and focused on the things they need to get better™ at…I can’t give them enough credit.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since becoming head coach?
Well, staying with it. You know, just getting, making sure you understand where your team is. Understand what you’re working with and how you have to get better™ from where you are. And getting better™ everyday, and the things you need to get better™ at. And staying focused on those things. Not getting distracted by all the outside stuff that’s coming in, and staying focused on who you are and how you can get better™ from within.

On Brandon Rush
It’s, he’s getting better™. He’s getting more and more confident, and he’s just trying to play in the game as he get going a little bit deeper in the season here, and that’s gonna be huge for us. We need everybody we have on this roster to be ready to go, and to be, to play their best every night there, out there on the floor, for us to have a chance to win. So he’s a guy that we’re looking forward to continuing to get better™.

On whether he’s considering giving Alec Burks more minutes or starting him
No. You know what, you do, but you gotta understand, you know, where you are. He did a tremendous job last night of stepping up…and we looking forward to, we’ll have times to go to him.

**Tyrone Corbin on playing the Spurs on national television, unintentional dirty quote machine: We can’t make it any bigger than what it is.

Are you happy with where this team is?
I’m happy where we are now. You know, how we’re getting better™. The start [of the season], you know, being shorthanded, and I thought the lessons we learned, and the way these guys stayed together, continuing to work while we were in that bad span there, showed who these guys are. And how they continue to focus and work everyday to get better™, and now we’re starting to see some of the rewards of their work. We got a long way to go, and we gotta make sure we continue to stay focused, keep working everyday to get better™.

On the progression of the offense
I think they understand it’s getting better™, and the importance of moving the ball from strong side to weak side, and how quick that have to be to take advantage and attack guys from the weak side. So the better we do that in games, the more open shots we get, the more open looks [on] drives to the basket we get and the better it does, job we do of being able to get the ball to our big guys in position where they can attack quick.

On Alec Burks scoring 34 without a 3-pointer
Guards have done that, the guys that don’t shoot threes, he, you know, he’s just taking, he’s being who he is. You know, he’s able to attack the basket, and I’ve always, you know, guys get enamored with 3-point shots. But if you can get a shot closer to the basket, it’s always better. And the modern-day games, everybody’s just so, the 3-pointer’s a sexy thing. But I would rather you get a shot closer to the basket than a 3-point shot any day. (KALL)

On how the Jazz have gone .500 over the last 24 games
I think it’s a couple of things. Obviously, it’s the work that we’re putting in, and the things that, you know, C♥ach has done in making some adjustments with our team. And the things we do defensively that are different than we did, like, the first 20 games. The work that the guys are putting in; the time that, you know, we’re putting in with the guys working on defense, working on execution. I just think it’s been a combination of so many things, but certainly all the credit goes to C♥ach Corbin, because he, you know, we’re putting in the time, that we need, to do it.

On the Jazz’s improved offense
Well, you know, again, it’s the execution. You know, one of the things that C♥ach is always harping on, is executing and setting screens, and you know, taking good shots, and we’ve done that. You know, we’re certainly better at it than we were early. And you know, guys are getting good looks.

On the Jazz’s improved defense
I think it’s, again, a couple of things. I think number one, it’s the adjustments that we made. We, you know, we play pick and rolls, for example, different than we did last year. We play it different than we did the first 20 games, and it’s something that, you know, we looked at, and C♥ach talked about it, and we talked about it as a staff, and C♥ach, you know, he just said, you know, “I think we need to make some adjustments based on our personnel. We can do some different things with these guys.” And that’s what we did.

And you know, but it was his vision in looking at the team, and realizing what Derrick [Favors] could do and what Enes [Kanter] could do as big men, and then with our perimeter guys, you know, the best way to play it with those guys. And then to the time that we put in in practice, with our rotations and our coverages. And you know, so I don’t think it’s a, you know, mistake that we are, you know, a little better.

On Trey Burke and screens
We had a conversation the other day, and I asked him, I said, “Do you know who the best screening point guard in this league, ever had?” And he wasn’t, he didn’t know. And I said, “Well, there’s John Stockton.” And so, we went over some stuff in practice, and I showed him how Stock used to set screens. And we had some film to show him.

And last night, it was his best night ever, of him setting screens. And the offense ran a little smoother, got guys open, and I loved his expression. Actually, Richard Jefferson yelled out one time, “The young fella is setting some good screens.” So, that was really good.

**Sidney Lowe on Trey Burke and setting screens, unintentional dirty quote machine: I just told him he can’t be afraid, and again, I just told him how John did it.

On how the team being in a good place
These guys have been unbelievable. They’ve been great this year to work with, and certainly, C♥ach has to get, you know, a lot of credit on that because he keeps them engaged. He keeps them, I guess, grounded…And again, the teaching aspect of it, and they understand that, because he’s constantly talking and telling them about, you know, “We’re getting better,” and how we’re learning. (1280)

In about six months, when you’re unemployed and wondering what happened, I invite you to look back at this quote. After Alec Burks proves that he is a starter-quality SG, after showing that not only with a huge game against the Nuggets, but also in a quality game agaist the Cavs, you were asked if you are considering starting him or, at least, playing him more minutes.